There will soon be a lot of smiling kids at the Niverville Elementary School (NMS) thanks to the philanthropic efforts of Tim Hortons and their Smile Cookie campaign. This year’s fundraising effort put nearly $18,000 into the hands of the NMS parent advisory council (PAC), which has allocated it towards their play structure project.
Krista Shidel is an NMS parent and president of the PAC. Since Grades Five and Six students were transitioned to the middle school in 2019, she says that they’ve had nothing with which to entertain themselves on the playground apart from a swing set and basketball court.
“Originally this was a high school, so there wasn’t a need for a play structure,” says Shidel. “But then when it transitioned into a Grades Five to Eight, we really felt that we needed to put something out there, mostly for the Grade Fives and Sixes, because they’re coming from an elementary school that is very well-equipped.”
Outdoor play equipment isn’t funded by the school division, so these kinds of initiatives typically fall to the PAC. Including the recent Smile Cookie donation, the play structure funds now sit at around $50,000, which takes a slice out of their $130,000 goal.
The PAC has also applied for government grants, some of which are specifically dedicated to schools without play structures or schools whose play structures need replacement.
Shidel says that they should be in a position soon to begin phase one of the project. This will likely entail landscaping in an area near the swing set. Should government funding come in, they may be able to complete it in one fell swoop.
According to Shidel, it was Councillor Meghan Beasant who directed Tim Hortons manager Nazli Sharma towards the NMS project. The NMS PAC was grateful to accept the opportunity despite the time and energy they’d be required to invest.
“Our Tim Hortons here is not equipped to ice that many cookies,” Shidel says. “So they really rely on the organization to get volunteers from the community.”
Shidel set out to do just that. In no time, she’d recruited PAC members, NMS students and their parents, as well as a group of senior citizens to help with cookie decorating. She also had her four kids participating.
In the kitchen of a local church, groups were able to produce 800 iced cookies per day over the course of seven days.
For Shidel, next school year will mark her last term on the PAC. She’s hopeful that the new play structure will be complete and filled with happy children before she moves on.
As for Sharma, she’s already making plans to sponsor the play structure project through next year’s Smile Cookie campaign.
“Let’s get those kids out burning off some energy,” Sharma says. “I am sure the teaching staff would love to have this as an option.”